Dialeurodicus silvestrii (Leonardi)

John H. Martin, 2004, Whiteflies of Belize (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae). Part 1 — introduction and account of the subfamily Aleurodicinae Quaintance & Baker, Zootaxa 681, pp. 1-86 : 43-44

Dialeurodicus silvestrii (Leonardi)

( Figs 23, 60–61, 90, 132)

Aleurodicus silvestrii Leonardi, 1910: 320 –322. Syntypes, Mexico. Dialeurodicus silvestrii (Leonardi) Quaintance & Baker, 1913: 28 –30. Dialeurodicus tracheiferus Sampson & Drews, 1941: 152 –153. Syntypes, Mexico [examined].

Syn. nov.

DISTRIBUTION. Neotropical Region — Belize, Mexico.

COMMENTS. This species is remarkable for the secretion, by each puparium, of three pairs of very long white ribbons of waxy material (Fig. 132). This material is produced from large fields of crowded simple pores, which define the subdorsal zone ( Figs 23, 60– 61). The sole colony from Belize comprised small groups under the midribs of individual leaves widely scattered on their small myrtaceous tree host, probably a species of Eugenia , but collectively they amounted to a substantial sample. Emergent adults of this species rested with their wings held at right angles to the body when undisturbed, a characteristic possibly of generic significance (see description of D. bondariae , above).

Sampson & Drews (1941) were aware of the existence of Leonardi’s (1910) description of D. silvestrii , but considered that their new species, D. tracheiferus , differed from it. They described D. tracheiferus as having thoracic tracheal folds, which is a character not revealed by examination of syntypic material, nor seen in Belizean material. However, syntypes of D. tracheiferus from Mexico (UCD), and most puparia from Belize, do each have a small dorsal patch of cuticular roughening opposite the position of the middle legs, seen in relief on the margin as irregular tiny “teeth” (Fig. 90). No type material of Aleurodicus silvestrii has been traced, but it is considered that Leonardi simply omitted to mention this minor character. Leonardi provided an otherwise accurate illustration of the microscopical puparial detail, and also an excellent habitus drawing of the six highly characteristic and enormously long white waxy ribbons that issue from each puparium: in contrast, Sampson & Drews made no mention of habitus appearance of D. tracheiferus , and the boundary of the dense field of wax­secreting simple pores is inaccurate in their drawing. D. tracheiferus is considered here to be a junior synonym of D. silvestrii syn. nov.